TOOL FOR HOLDING AT LEAST ONE BATTERY MODULE WHEN REPLACING A FAULTY BATTERY CELL IN A BATTERY TRAY OF AN ELECTRIC OR HYBRID MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a tool (1) configured to hold at least one battery module (2) for the replacement of a defective battery cell (6) in a battery tray (100) of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle (1000), said battery tray (100) comprising at least one longitudinal member (3) and a plurality of cross members (4) forming a plurality of housings, each capable of receiving said battery module (2), said battery module (2) comprising a set of battery cells (6), characterized in that said tool (1) comprising a longitudinal portion (1a) and a plurality of portions perpendicular to said longitudinal portion, said tool (1) being capable of being positioned parallel to the longitudinal member (3) along the first direction (X) and each perpendicular portion (1b) being capable of being positioned on one of the cross members (4) along the third direction (Z). Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: TOOL FOR HOLDING AT LEAST ONE BATTERY MODULE WHEN REPLACING A DEFECTIVE BATTERY CELL IN A BATTERY BOX OF AN ELECTRIC OR HYBRID MOTOR VEHICLE

[0001] The invention relates to electric or hybrid motor vehicles, and more particularly to the battery tray of these vehicles.

[0002] Prior art patent application WO2023187090 is known, describing a longitudinally clamped battery for an electric or hybrid vehicle. The patent application also deals with a method for assembling such a battery. The battery comprises a casing, or battery tray, having a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge defining a housing, a plurality of transverse cross members extending from the first lateral edge to the second lateral edge, and a plurality of assemblies, each comprising electrochemical cells joined together. The cross members and assemblies are arranged successively longitudinally within said housing, clamped against each other in a clamping direction perpendicular to the direction in which the battery is mounted. The clamping may be carried out within the housing or outside of it and then incorporated into said housing. However, a drawback remains.If one of the electrochemical cells is damaged, the entire module must be replaced because dismantling the housing causes irreversible decompression of the battery cells.

[0003] The objective of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by providing a means allowing the replacement of a single battery cell without damaging the other battery cells.

[0004] To achieve this objective, the invention proposes a tool configured to hold at least one battery module during the replacement of a defective battery cell in a battery tray of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle comprising a front axle and a rear axle whose points of contact with the ground define a base plane defined by a first longitudinal direction corresponding to straight-line travel, by a second transverse direction orthogonal to the first longitudinal direction, and a third vertical direction orthogonal to the first and second directions and oriented away from the ground, said battery tray comprising at least one longitudinal member and a plurality of cross members forming a plurality of housings capable of receiving each said battery module, said battery module comprising a set of battery cells, notable in that said tool comprises a longitudinal portion and a plurality of portions perpendicular to said longitudinal portion, said tool being able to be positioned parallel to the longitudinal member in the first direction and each perpendicular portion being able to be positioned on one of the cross members in the third direction.

[0005] Thanks to the invention, the tool allows the battery modules to be held in place by preventing the deformation of the crossbars, and more generally of the battery tray, when replacing a defective battery cell.

[0006] Advantageously, each cross member has an opening, said perpendicular portions being configured to fit into said openings.

[0007] Fitting the perpendicular portion into said cross member facilitates the positioning of said tool on said battery tray.

[0008] Advantageously, each perpendicular portion is fixed to one of the cross members by at least one screw.

[0009] This configuration strengthens the connection between the tool and the battery tray. This reduces the risk of deformation of the battery tray.

[0010] Advantageously, said tool is made of steel.

[0011] Steel is a strong and deformation-resistant material. It is also economical because it is inexpensive and recyclable.

[0012] Preferably, the steel is carbon steel or stainless steel.

[0013] These two types of steel are particularly resistant to deformation.

[0014] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for replacing a defective battery cell in a battery module of a battery tray of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle implementing said tool described above, remarkable in that said method comprises the following steps: - a tool fixing step during which each perpendicular portion is fixed onto one of the crossbars along the third direction; - a step involving the dismantling of the side member; - a step of removing the battery module containing the defective battery cell in the second direction; - a step in assembling the side member; - a tool removal step; - a step of replacing the defective battery cell with a new battery cell; - a compression step of the battery module containing the new battery cell; - a step of inserting the battery module into said housing.

[0015] Advantageously, said battery module is fixed by an adhesive to said housing, said process comprising an adhesive cleaning step between said battery module removal step and said assembly step.

[0016] The presence of an adhesive to fix the battery module to the housing makes it possible to solidify the fixing of the battery module to the housing, but also to cushion any shock from the battery tray which could damage the battery cells.

[0017] Preferably, during the battery module removal step, said battery module is extracted from said housing by means of a scraper suitable for detaching said battery module.

[0018] The use of a scraper avoids the need for a flammable detergent agent, the improper cleaning of which could cause the battery module to overheat or even catch fire.

[0019] Advantageously, a cord is embedded in said glue present in said housing, and during the step of removing the battery module, said cord is pulled to delaminate the glue.

[0020] Again, the use of a rope eliminates the need for a flammable detergent. Furthermore, the rope is readily available after the battery module is removed, and no new tool is required to detach the battery module.

[0021] The invention will be further detailed by describing non-limiting embodiments, and based on the accompanying figures illustrating variants of the invention, in which: - [Fig.1] schematically illustrates a battery tray of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle comprising a tool for holding a battery module according to an embodiment of the invention; - [Fig.2] schematically illustrates the battery tray following the removal of the longeron and battery module with a defective battery cell.

[0022] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a battery tray 100 of an electric or hybrid automobile 1000 comprising a front axle and a rear axle whose points of contact with the ground define a base plane XY defined by a first longitudinal direction X corresponding to straight-line travel, a second transverse direction Y orthogonal to the first longitudinal direction X, and a third vertical direction Z orthogonal to the first direction X and the second direction Y and oriented away from the ground. The battery tray 100 comprises at least one longitudinal member 3 and a plurality of cross members 4. The longitudinal member 3 is a longitudinal structure extending along the body of said vehicle 1000. The role of the longitudinal member 3 is to serve as a structural base. to which other components of the vehicle 1000 are attached. At least one side member 3 and the plurality of cross members 4 form a plurality of housings. Each housing is suitable for receiving a battery module 2. In [Fig. 1], the battery tray 100 has 2 side members arranged opposite each other along the second direction Y. In addition, the battery tray 100 has 10 cross members, thus forming 8 housings. Each of the 8 housings has a battery module 2. Each battery module 2 has a plurality of battery cells 6. A tool 1 for holding at least one of the battery modules 2 when replacing a defective battery cell 6 is positioned on the battery tray 100. The tool 1 has a longitudinal portion la and a plurality of portions perpendicular to the longitudinal portion la. In [Fig.[l] said tool 1 is positioned on said battery tray 2 such that each perpendicular portion 1b is disposed on one of the cross members 4. Preferably, each cross member has an opening, and said perpendicular portions 1b are designed to fit into said openings. Advantageously, each perpendicular portion 1b of said tool 1 is fixed to one of the cross members 4 by at least one screw. Thus, the connection between said tool 1 and said cross members 4 is solid, which further reduces the risk of displacement of the other battery modules 2 or deformation of the battery tray 100. Advantageously, said tool 1 is made of steel. Steel is a material resistant to deformation. Thus, it is particularly useful in the context of the invention for securely holding the cross members 4 of the battery tray 2 in place. Moreover, steel is inexpensive and recyclable. The use of steel therefore allows for a reduction in the production costs of said tool 1.Preferably, said tool 1 is made of carbon steel or stainless steel. Carbon steel is a type of steel composed mainly of iron and carbon. The higher the carbon content, the more resistant the carbon steel is to deformation. Stainless steel is a type of steel containing, among other things, chromium. Stainless steel is heat-resistant. Battery modules 2 are susceptible to overheating. A heat-resistant material is therefore advantageous to prevent damage to tool 1.

[0023] Tool 1 holds in position each cross member 4 on which the tool is positioned. Thus, it is possible to remove one of the battery modules 2, for example, to replace it, without moving the other battery modules 2. For example, when a battery cell 6 is defective, it is possible to remove only the battery module containing the defective battery cell 6 in order to replace it. To replace a defective battery cell 6 in the battery tray described above, the following steps must be carried out. During a fastening step, tool 1 is positioned on the battery tray 2. The longitudinal portion is configured to be arranged according to the The first direction X is positioned above the battery tray 2 along the third direction Z. Each perpendicular portion 1b is configured to be positioned on or within one of the cross members 4 along the third direction Z. During a disassembly step, at least one side member 3 is removed to provide access to the battery modules 2 located below the tool 1. The tool 1 exerts a force on the cross members 4 to prevent them from moving during the removal of the side member 3. During a battery module 2 removal step, the battery module 2 containing the defective battery cell 6 is extracted from the battery tray 2 along the second direction Y. In [Fig. 2], the battery tray 100 is shown when the side member 3 is absent and the battery module 2 is removed. Consequently, the housing 5 is visible in [Fig. 2]. The tool 1 maintains the compression of the remaining battery modules 2 between the cross members 4.During an assembly step, the longitudinal member 3 is reinstalled on the battery tray 100. During a tool removal step, the tool 1 is removed from the battery tray 100. Since the battery tray 100 now contains the longitudinal member 3, it is no longer necessary to hold the battery modules 2 in place. During a replacement step, the defective battery cell 6 is replaced with a new battery cell 6 in the battery module 2 that has been removed from the battery tray 100. The replacement operation is therefore carried out outside the battery tray 100. During a compression step, the extracted battery module containing the new battery cell 6 is compressed to a size smaller than the dimensions of the housing 5. During an insertion step, the compressed battery module 2 is inserted into the free housing 5 of the battery tray 100.Advantageously, the battery module 2 is attached to the housing 5 by means of an adhesive. In this case, an intermediate cleaning step is implemented between the battery module removal step and the assembly step. Preferably, when the battery module 2 is attached to the housing 5 by means of an adhesive, the battery module 2 is extracted from the housing 5 using a scraper suitable for detaching the battery module. In another embodiment, a cord is embedded in the adhesive during the attachment of the battery module 2 to the housing 5. Thus, to release the battery module 2, the cord is pulled to delaminate it.

Claims

Demands

1. System comprising: -an electric or hybrid motor vehicle (1000) having a battery tray (100) equipped with battery modules (2), -a tool (1) configured to hold at least one battery module (2) during the replacement of a defective battery cell (6) in the battery tray (100) of the vehicle (1000), this vehicle having a front axle and a rear axle whose points of contact with the ground define a base plane (XY) defined by a first longitudinal direction (X) corresponding to straight-line travel, by a second transverse direction (Y) orthogonal to the first longitudinal direction (X) and a third vertical direction (Z) orthogonal to the first direction (X) and to the second direction (Y) and is oriented away from the ground,said battery tray (100) comprising at least one longitudinal member (3) and a plurality of cross members (4) forming a plurality of housings (5) each capable of receiving said battery module (2), said battery module (2) comprising a set of battery cells (6), characterized in that said tool (1) comprises a longitudinal portion (1a) and a plurality of portions perpendicular (1b) to said longitudinal portion, said tool (1) being capable of being positioned parallel to the longitudinal member (3) along the first direction (X) and each perpendicular portion (1b) being capable of being positioned on one of the cross members (4) along the third direction (Z).

2. System according to claim 1 characterized in that each cross member (4) has an opening, said perpendicular portions (1b) being configured to fit into said openings.

3. System according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that each perpendicular portion (1b) is fixed to one of the cross members (4) by at least one screw.

4. System according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that said tool (1) is made of steel.

5. System according to claim 4 characterized in that the steel is carbon steel or stainless steel.

6. Method for replacing a defective battery cell (6) in a battery module (2) of a battery tray (100) of a system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said method comprises the following steps: - a step of fixing the tool (1) during which each perpendicular portion (1b) is fixed on one of the cross members (4) along the third direction (Z); - a step of dismantling the side member (3); - a step of removing the battery module (2) including the defective battery cell (6) along the second direction (Y); - a step of mounting the side member (3); - a step of removing the tool (1); - a step of replacing the defective battery cell (6) with a new battery cell (6); - a step of compressing the battery module (2) including the new battery cell (6); - a step of inserting the battery module (2) into said housing (5).

7. Method according to claim 6 characterized in that said battery module (2) is fixed by an adhesive to said housing (5), said method comprising an adhesive cleaning step between said battery module (2) removal step and said assembly step.

8. Method according to claim 7 characterized in that, during the step of removing the battery module (2), said battery module (2) is extracted from said housing (5) by means of a scraper suitable for detaching said battery module (2).

9. The method according to claim 7 characterized in that a cord is embedded in said glue present in said housing (5), and during the step of removing the battery module (2), said cord is pulled to delaminate the glue.

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